Water agency to study 2nd reservoir

Published 6:04 am, Sunday, February 5, 2012

It was more than a year ago that local officials asked the Region H Water Planning Group to study the viability of a second reservoir in Montgomery County.

However, in 2011, the group was near the end of updating its portion of the statewide water plan, a process that demands five years to complete.

“The timing was off,” said Jace Houston, deputy general manager of the San Jacinto River Authority, one of at least 20 agencies that comprise Region H.

“The region had already finished its 2011 draft plan when new reservoir sites in Montgomery County were proposed,” he said.

Two months into 2012 - the next five-year planning cycle - and the outlook is much brighter. Local officials say they’ve been assured that new dam sites - especially a reservoir north of Dobbin - will be studied.

Dubbed “Lone Star Lake,” that reservoir would get most of its water from Lake Creek. It’s estimated the volume of Lone Star Lake would be at 23,000 acre-feet, compared to a maximum 439,000 acre-feet of surface water in Lake Conroe.

While a significant disparity, Montgomery County’s growing population may make such projects viable over time, said Mark Evans, Region H chairman.

The population in Montgomery County, according to 2010 Census data, was 485,000, but the population could reach 1 million in little more than a decade if the growth rate continues at 5 percent.

“With the exponential growth this county should have, we need to examine all water management strategies,” said Evans, a retired Trinity County judge.

Evans believes water conservation is not the only option available to this area.

“We’ve got to take a look at surface water,” he said.

The Texas Water Development Board, the state agency responsible for compiling the 50-year water plan, is allowing regional planning groups to accelerate their studies of water management strategies like reservoirs. Those studies could commence in the near future, Houston said.